Northwestern snatches top shooter from Iowa

Kale Abrahamson was walking on Northwestern’s lakefront Tuesday afternoon when he turned to basketball coach Bill Carmody and asked: “How do I do this? Do I just tell you I’m coming?”

And with that, Northwestern secured an impressive commitment for its class of 2012.

Abrahamson is a 6-foot-7 swingman from West Des Moines who also had been offered by Iowa, Stanford, Wake Forest and Nebraska. Rivals.com rates Abrahamson as the nation’s No. 24 small forward and the 119th overall player in his class.

Asked if he’ll get flak back home for not committing to the Hawkeyes, Abrahamson told the Tribune: “A couple of my friends who are going there might have a problem with it, but mostly people will be supportive.”

A source said that NU coaches expect to play him as a freshman, likely in the spot to be vacated by the graduating John Shurna.

Like Shurna, Abrahamson is long and lean. He is said to be a better shooter than Shurna was as a high school senior but less athletic.

During one of Abrahamson’s campus visits, NU associate head coach Tavaras Hardy “showed me clips of Shurna going back door and coming off screens and hitting 3s,” Abrahamson said. “I said: ‘I’d like to do that for you guys.’ ”

He’s the second player to pledge to Northwestern in the last five days, joining 6-foot-5 guard Sanjay Lumpkin, whom some rate as the second-best player from Minnesota.

Abrahamson and Lumpkin join two big men – Alex Olah of Indiana and TCU transfer Nikola Cerina –- in a class that’s shaping up to be one of NU’s best in years. Northwestern is aiming to add at least one more player who is 6-9 or taller.

The Wildcats should be strong at point guard for the next few years with incoming freshmen Dave Sobolewski and Tre Demps.